Stream: Derde Verde, ‘Have You Felt It?’

Kevin Bronson on October 8th, 2019

0

“Slow Light,” the debut album from Derde Verde, feels as if it’s written elegantly and painstakingly on papyrus, folk tunes lifted by the breeze of pristine harmonies, scented with acoustic guitar and carried gently down the canyon. It’s the first full-length from the L.A. duo of Dylan McKenzie and bassist Jonathan Schwarz, who craft ethereal soundscapes that range from psych-folk to atmospheric pop, and hopefully not their last.

The album (out Friday), produced by Tim Carr and Gregory Uhlmann (of Fell Runner) along with Derde Verde, recalls the tender, slow-mo moments of artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Real Estate and Sea Wolf. After releasing the lead single “Waking the Dream” in August, Derde Verde have followed up with two more singles. “Your Ghost” is a lush and haunting conversation notable not just for bursts of melody but for some nifty internal rhyming: “I don’t know you well enough / but I can tell the truth / All roads lead to hell / so I will try to follow you.”

Another example of the album’s rich lyrical imagery, the soft-hued “Have You Felt It?” likens movements of the earth to life changes, as McKenzie marvels at the mountains and acknowledges they might not be there forever. “I’m holding on to what is left before it slips away,” he sings. Like “Slow Light” as a whole, it’s a sentiment worth embracing.

||| Stream: “Have You Felt It?” and “Your Ghost”